Effect of 5‐year continuous positive airway pressure treatment on the lipid profile of patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A pilot study

• Published in: Journal of sleep research Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. e12874 - n/a
• Main Authors: Simon, Beatrix, Gabor, Bettina, Barta, Imre, Paska, Csilla, Boszormenyi Nagy, Gyorgy, Vizi, Eva, Antus, Balazs
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.04.2020
• Subjects: atherosclerosis; cardiovascular; metabolism; obesity; atherosclerosis; metabolism; cardiovascular; obesity
• ISSN: 0962-1105; 1365-2869
• DOI: 10.1111/jsr.12874

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) provides a well‐documented symptomatic relief for most patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); however, its effect on dyslipidaemia remains contradictory. The aim of this longitudinal pilot study was to investigate the effect of long‐term CPAP treatment on the lipid profile of patients with severe OSA. Fasting serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), low‐ and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C and HDL‐C) and triglyceride (TG) were longitudinally measured in 33 OSA patients with an apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) of ≥30 events/hr, at the time of diagnosis (baseline) and at control visits following fixed‐pressure CPAP treatment. Compared to baseline values, even as short as a 2‐month CPAP therapy resulted in a significant decrease of both TC and LDL‐C levels (TC, 5.62 ± 0.22 vs. 5.18 ± 0.21 mmol/L; LDL‐C, 3.52 ± 0.19 vs. 3.19 ± 0.2 mmol/L; p < 0.05 for each). These lipid fractions exhibited similar improvements at 6 months and after 5 years of CPAP treatment (TC, 5.1 ± 0.17 mmol/L; LDL‐C, 2.86 ± 0.16 mmol/L; p < 0.01 for each). The reduction in lipid levels was greater in younger patients and/or in those who had higher body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.05). There were no significant correlations between AHI and lipid levels (p > 0.05); BMI showed a weak negative association with HDL‐C fraction (BMI, r = −0.263, p < 0.05). CPAP therapy had neither short‐ nor long‐term effects on TG and HDL‐C levels (p > 0.05). CPAP therapy has a rapid and long‐lasting beneficial effect on the lipid profile of patients with severe OSA.